An 1871 Journey to Prescott was Long, Difficult, Dangerous and Expensive

It was November of 1871.  For W.H. Meacham, "the destination was Prescott, Arizona," where he was "bent on the pursuit of health, wealth and happiness--to grasp a goodly portion of Arizona gold dust, which [he] had been led to believe could be scooped readily for the pains."

Meacham had high hopes, but he couldn't have foreseen going through truly hostile, lawless Indian country where killings were common; in a stagecoach that had sun shining through recent, deadly bullet-holes; and with no promised soldier escort!

Describing himself as a "tenderfoot,"  Meacham's knuckles must have grown white as he tightly clutched his borrowed Colt revolver during the harrowing trip.

Prescott was Hollywood for Silent Westerns

(Tom Mix with an unknown starlet in an unknown film.)

What do these movies: "Creepshow 2," "Universal Soldier," "Arizona Summer," "Transamerica," "Jolene," "How the West Was Won," and "Billy Jack" have in common?

They are part of 16 modern movies that were all filmed, at least in part, in Prescott, Arizona. (*1)

But when it came to silent western movies, Prescott was a real "Hollywood."  Incredibly, in the three years of 1913-15, over a hundred silent westerns were filmed in Prescott and the surrounding area.

The first movie ever made in Prescott was The Cringer.

The Birth of Watson Lake

Nestled along the Granite Dells, Watson Lake makes for one of the most picturesque scenes in Prescott.  Watson is a man-made lake created in April of 1915 with the completion of the Granite Creek dam by a company from Indiana.

Needless to say, water is extremely important in the desert, and the anticipation of a new lake close to the city brought the biggest celebration Prescott saw in many years.  

There were notable speakers, a free barbecue, Prescott's band, and a special train to get to the celebration, as the four-ton steel gates would be closed to store the waters of Granite Creek.  "Acting Mayor AJ Head...issued his proclamation declaring a general holiday from 1 o'clock until 5 on that auspicious day," the newspaper noted; even the courts were closed. 

There Were Cars in the Prescott National Forest Before There Were Whitetail Deer

  

Anyone who has spent any length of time in the Prescott National Forest is well aware of the large population of whitetail deer that call it home.  It seems they've been there forever.

But few locals and sportsmen are aware that the whitetail deer did not exist in the forest until the spring of 1915--a full half-century after the city was founded!  There were automobiles in the forest before the white-tail deer ever showed up! Their arrival came in large numbers and was a complete surprise.

Skull Valley Earned Its Gruesome Name Twice

It would be a strong statement to say that a piece of land is "cursed,"; something this author would rather avoid.  Yet it seems that some spots in the world are painfully familiar with the angel of death.

Skull Valley, AZ (a half hour west of Prescott) is one such place, having earned its gruesome name not once, but twice.  Both times involved a large loss of life to the Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe.

It's been said that "Ploughing-time down [in Skull Valley] means, among other things, grave-exhuming time – the annual harvesting of dead men’s bones.  And the supply of these grisly evidences...of long ago appears to be inexhaustible."

1932: Prescott Police Chief Demands Gun Control (and the Shocking Reason Why)

Prescott Police Chief Worth Rybon just dug a .22 caliber bullet out of a living room chair.  It had passed through a pane of glass from outside the house.  The Chief had had enough.

Mrs. Emma Franks, owner of the house, was relieved that she was not at home at the time.  Two Prescott women had already been shot in the head from such gun-"play".

It seems that when adolescents and young boys are given guns, they eventually just HAVE to shoot them at something!  Within city limits, this became a dangerous problem.